Welcome Melissa Marginet – introducing our new Janome Canada Artisan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have not done a formal  introduction of Melissa although her details have been posted on our  Janome Canada website for a week or 2. Melissa Marginet of Manitoba, Canada is our newest Janome Canada Artisan. She already owns a Janome MC6700P and we have added the Janome MC9450 to her sewing room. We are looking forward to some wonderful posts and expert info from Melissa in the coming months. She is a quilter with a unique Modern Quilting flair……you will soon see if you have not already had the opportunity to see her lovely work. We share a video in which Janomegirl interviewed Melissa  – enjoy!

This is Melissa’s latest pattern – just published. It is called Valour.

I met Melissa in 2016 when she was one of the teachers at Quilt Canada 2016. I really liked her proposal to teach “Quilting with your feed dogs UP”. Luckily, so did the other members of the Quilt Canada team who were selecting teachers that year (I was the Quilt Canada Conference Coordinator at that time). Melissa came to Toronto to share her expertise and her classes were a sell out. She taught again at Quilt Canada 2018 in Vancouver. She has also been featured before on janomelife. Read here where we posted about her first book. Her second book is about to become available and we will let her tell you more about that soon. I can’t wait to lay my hands on a copy!

Melissa is well known for her straight line walking foot quilting – the heavier weight black thread here shows this off really well.

Melissa felt recently that there were many people at home with “itchy fingers” and unexpected extra time to do some soothing piecing and quilting on a Mystery Quilt.  I probably should have resisted the temptation after my admission of guilt yesterday in the UFO department …….however, I did not resist and, although I am lagging behind a bit as I only get to do this at night and weekends, I am really liking how my mystery quilt top is coming together. It has also been pleasant to “chat” online with Melissa and the others who are working on this quilt. Melissa is the organizer behind this Facebook group. Perhaps you might like to join if you feel, like me, that you would benefit from getting stuck into a fresh and new project as quilting therapy!  Thank you, Melissa. Just search on Facebook for Melissa’s Mystery Quilt-a-long. Here is the link. You will need to join the group which has over 300 members at the time of writing this.  Don’t worry if you are starting late although it  probably will not be much of a mystery at this stage. But Melissa says you are welcome to join in & make the quilt as the instructions will still be posted for a while.

I asked Melissa recently what she was using heavier weight thread for. She said she likes to SEE the thread when she has spent time and love creating a quilted project. I do agree with her about that….Why hide your skills?! Isn’t this stunning?  PS – this is not the Mystery quilt – it is just another example of Melissa’s beautiful work. I believe this is another of her patterns. You can find Melissa’s contact details here.

What is under your needle today?

What is your current sewing project?

Please share with us on Facebook or Instagram using  #janomecanada #janomelife 

Sunday Sewing: Quilting -in-the-ditch + NEW Manual Dual Feed setting with video

For those of us who love to sew/quilt/embroider/sew garments  or all of the above, I have little doubt that we have many projects to keep us busy. I have so many UFO’s that I am ashamed to even count them, let alone tell you how many!

This foot is the Acufeed flex foot with SD Ditch quilting sole plate – more in the video link below.

Following the mantra of  “Keep calm and sew on”  which I have been preaching…….. I finished 3 small quilt UFO’s on the weekends recently …….Sunday sewing bonanza.

I used a charm pack from my “deep” stash and pieced them together randomly to be the size I needed for a coffee table. I sandwiched this and started the quilting a long time back (no, I’m not going to tell how long ago!),  but I dug it out last weekend and finished it. YAY!

PS The table topper IS square. I struggle with taking pics which are perfectly in line. Steadier hand maybe? or perhaps I need to use a tripod?

I completed the ditch quilting using a varigated cotton thread and the Janome ditch quilting foot for Acufeed flex. Please watch this video where I show how I did that. 

I also used a brown invisible thread to diagonally cross hatch each block. You can mark diagonal lines on your blocks but I don’t for something small like a charm square. “eyeball” the square from corner to corner and “drive” straight. If you start in one corner and keep going diagonally across the quilts through block after block and then turn and go in another diagonal direction, you will have criss-crossed back & forth and got the whole quilt done in no time. I only had to back track once or twice I think – I just stitched in the ditch to the next square and I was off again. Easy….continuous quilting & less threads to bury.  I also used my Acufeed Flex foot and quilting guide bar to stitch 2 rounds of straight stitching in my border. (see pic below)

Lastly, I used the same varigated cotton thread to stitch a satin stitch in the ditch between my charm squares and my border. I used a matching bobbin thread as I had done with the decorative leaf stitch so the back of my quilt is also quite pretty.

THE JANOME DITCH QUILTING FOOT – this one happens to be the clip on version – just snap it onto the ankle/foot holder.  It is the S foot and is available for 7mm and 9mm Janome  machine models.

You will notice in the video that I mention you can do this same ditch quilting on most of our Janome models – not just on the Janome Continental M7…….good news as there can be no reason that you too cannot complete some patiently waiting UFO’s!  All you need is a ditch quilting foot (shown in pics above) and away you go…….happy quilting!

The second part of the video explains how and why to use the NEW Manual Dual feed setting on the Janome Continental M7. If you don’t have this incredible machine – which has already won 2 prestigious awards –  I do address on the video how to do decorative stitching with other Janome Acufeed Flex models.

There is something really good about completing a project….a real sense of accomplishment (even if somewhat delayed?!)

Sewing and quilting is really wonderful therapy.
Do you agree?

Have you managed to accomplish completing UnFinished Objects recently? 

Saturday Sewing: quick, easy and inexpensive Upcycled Summer Beach Bag

Here’s a super-quick and easy project, one which won’t break the bank. I’ve been wanting to tackle this for quite some time, actually, so now seems the perfect time!

How about turning a bathroom floor mat, or even a small toss rug, or placemat into a cute little tote? I had this bathmat kicking around in my linen closet for probably a few years now, so, since it wasn’t being used for it’s intended purpose, why not upcycle into something useful and fun?I thought this bathmat would make a great beach/ pool tote since it’s water-proof; out of a foamy/vinyl-like material and is perforated to let the excess water through. Great for wet swimsuits, snorkeling gear, etc. After a day at the beach, all the sand can be washed away with the garden hose, or a quick rinse in the sink.Though summer is several months away from the time I write this, it’s always inspiring to me to have something positive to look forward to, and I can’t wait to use this tote bag when camping this summer. As you can see, Rebecca is ready to hit the beach, too! In her bag, her Janome MC 9450 Workbook will make for some great reading while soaking up the rays, lol! This bathmat came from a well known discount store which operates nationally, so you’re sure to find something similar wherever you live. (Since the store sells food and cleaning products, it’s deemed an essential business during COVID-19 and is currently open for business). It was all of $3 and measures 17.7″ x 27.5″, but really any size will do. I drew marks 5″ in from each long side as a placement line for the straps. I didn’t have a pattern for this; I just made it up as I went along (as I do with so many things I sew) so you can use whatever measurement you feel works best for the size of mat/ rug you’re using.

Two of my favourite marking tools – Clover’s HERA marker, which produces a faint crease line in the material, and Clover’s Chaco Liner, which comes in a few colours; Yellow is my favourite as it really stands out. It’s always good to do a test to see what works best for the project at hand.

I had the blue polypropylene webbing on-hand, so it was an ideal choice for straps. You could make your own from vinyl, or even from cotton fabric, though cotton would absorb water and take longer to dry. I’d like to try some with twine, or some kind of rope cording for a different look. Sew many possibilities!

To make construction easier, I cut two straps 55″ long, as I wanted them long enough to go over the shoulder, but you cut yours however long you feel works best for your size tote bag. I folded the bag in half to find the centre, and marked 1″ up from the ends of each strap as a guide for overlapping the two halves together. I didn’t use pins to hold the straps in place while I sewed, I just guided them next to the placement line I made earlier. You likely could get a pin through this bathmat material, but, maybe try a few dots of fabric glue, or a double-sided basting tape, instead.  

I folded over 1″ on the edge of one strap and lined it up with the corresponding 1″ mark on the opposite strap. The mark on the straps is positioned at the centre of the bag.

Sewing on the Janome Continental M7P is an absolute dream as the heavy-duty horsepower motor, coupled with the glorious 13.5″ throat space makes quick, easy work of everything I throw at it. I used a new Janome Red Tip (size14) needle, as I do for the majority of my sewing.

One of my all-time favourite presser feet is the Twin/Dual AcuFeed Flex foot holder and AD foot, which comes standard with the Janome Continental M7P. Many Janome machines have AcuFeed or AcuFeed Flex, which I always describe as a walking foot on steroids, but the various AcuFeed and AcuFeed Flex feet, like the UD/ Open Toe AcuFeed Flex foot which I also used for improved visibility at the needle, are also available in separate blister packs from your Janome dealer. SO powerful, especially when used on the Janome Continental M7P as it has a separate motor for the AcuFeed feeding system. Brilliant! It easily helped feed the thicker, bulkier, stickier layers of the bathmat with no trouble whatsoever. 

After the straps are sewn, simply fold the mat in half to sew the side seams together. Here’s a perfect opportunity to use binder clips (in Red of course, for Janome, lol!) or my absolute favourite, Clover’s Wonder Clips! These are great for anywhere you don’t want a pin hole, or simply can’t pin, like in leather, or you’re dealing with thick, bulky layers, like these two layers of the spongey bathmat. Starting a seam in thick, bulky fabric/ layers can present a bit of a challenge, but it’s likely NOT a machine issue! No need to curse at the machine and threaten to throw it out the window. (Come on! We’ve all been there! lol!)

So far, I haven’t found ANYTHING which hasn’t fed easily through the Janome Continental M7P,  but I shot this little video with some trouble-shooting tips in case you find your fabric/ material isn’t feeding as beautifully through your machine as it should.

Check out the link HERE, for a post I wrote previously on Janome Life about using the Button Shank Plate, which comes with many of our machines, and is also available in a separate blister pack from your Janome dealer. To find which dealers may be open for shipping, or curb-side pick-up, write to rthomas@janome-canada.com for more information. Click on the link HERE for more tips of heavy-duty sewing.

Other tips: increasing the length of your stitch to accommodate for the extra depth/ thickness of the material. I sewed the bathmats using 2.4 stitch length, but, for thicker layers; when quilting through fabric and batting, for example, I often increase the stitch length to 3.0.

Another tip, lighten the pressure of the presser foot, so the layers feed more smoothly. Consult your machine manual for more information how to do so.

I hope you enjoyed this post making a quick and easy upcycled tote bag. This will be one of the projects featured in an upcoming tote bag class we’ll have at our fabulous new Janome Sewing and Learning Centre in Oakville, ON. Write me at classes@janome-canada.com to be put on the mailing list for all the upcoming fun! You can also check out more videos at the Janome Sewing and Learning Centre channel on You Tube.

Happy Sewing!

THE JANOME HD9 – what’s the buzz, how to oil? etc

One of our Janome Canada Artisans, Celine from Blue Calla patterns, suggested I might like to join the Facebook group for Janome HD9 users. Now I’m going to be honest and say that I am not much of a fan of user groups and online forums as I quite honestly don’t have the  spare time to read all the many comments and queries that get posted.  However, in this instance, I made an exception and I have been amazed and inspired to see what Janome HD9 owners are saying about their machines as well as what they are making with the HD9!

One recent Janome HD9 query was how to oil the HD9 so I have given info below about that.

But before we launch into oiling, I thought I’d share this Janome America You Tube channel video Take a look.   An excited Jon Paul Alfano  talking about the HD9 – unboxing it, what comes with it + he announces there will be more video totorials coming on tips & tricks with the Janome HD9. You might want to subscribe to the Janome America You Tube channel?

How to oil your Janome HD9:

1. First and foremost, you would be advised to clean out your machine with a brush and/or little vacuum cleaner. We don’t recommend using those cans of air as they can push the lint and fluff deeper into the workings of your machines. Rather brush the lint and fluff out gently or extract (rather than blow) with one of those cute little vacuum cleaners. (Janome sells these so ask your local Janome Canada dealer. Mine came in a neat little clear plastic zipper baggie with all sorts of nifty tools like tweezers, bigger lint brush etc )
2. Flip to page 42 in your Janome HD9 Instruction manual as there are instructions and a diagram there for you to follow.  Click this link to download a new manual if you have mislaid yours. 
3. Recommendation is that you oil once a day if you use your Janome HD9 frequently.
4. The diagram below shows with red arrows the 4 places which need 2-3 drops of oil.

 

• There are 2 spots on the top of the machine where you need to oil – see red arrows above. This is all you need do to oil the moving parts inside the machine. It is not recommended that you open up the machine to lubricate inside – that is something an authorized Janome Service technician should do. If you do it and inadvertantly damage something, you could affect your warranty. A few drops of oil regularly into the 2 places indicated on the top of the machine is quite sufficient until it is time to take your machine into your authorized Janome dealer for service.
• If you use your Janome HD9 a lot, our strong suggestion would be that you have it serviced about once a year. In between you will need to clean it out and oil regularly as explained in this post.
• The bobbin case itself does not need to be oiled. You run the risk of getting oil onto your thread if you do that. It is the moving parts of the hook race and surrounding area which need to be oiled. But please only oil where you see the red arrows pointing.
• Note that it is also recommended  to do a bit of stitching on a scrap of fabric after oiling so as to absorb any excess oil. It is worth taking the time to do this as you will be very unimpressed if you accidentally get oil on your fabric or leather.
• Your local Janome sewing machine dealer can recommend the correct oil to use. Do obviously use up the little bottle of oil which comes standard with your Janome HD9. But when you need more, check with your dealer what he/she recommends. Hint: Oil bottles that have a little zoom spout or long thin tube to apply the oil are easier to use – in my opinion. I quite like the oil in a syringe in pic below on the right but ask your dealer what they recommend.

 

 

 

 

HAVE FUN CREATING WITH YOUR JANOME HD9!

Janome wins another award for our Continental M7

 

We are thrilled to announce that Janome has just been given a second prestigious award for our Janome Continental M7.  We have featured this machine on janomelife many times and are so excited that it has received this recognition. Click here for more information about the amazing features on this machine. 

What exactly does this award mean? For more information and the full news article 

Here is the list of  Janome Canada dealers who are certified to sell this award winning Janome machine.  – they will be happy to answer your queries and/or assist you with a purchase of this machine.

Sharing the Janome Love: a peek at some of the Janome machines in my sewing room

During many of my education events at various Janome dealerships, or when working in the Janome booth at various shows, I’ve often been asked which Janome machines I had in my sewing room at home. With the help of my partner, Joe, who’s my videographer, I shot this little video to show a few of the Janome machines I currently have at home, including a look at my very first Janome sewing machine which started me down the fun and exciting Janome road 28 years ago!

Undoubtedly, you’ve heard of the “Yellow Brick Road” from the Wizard of Oz. Well, to me, the road in Janome Land must be made of Red Brick, as Janome’s official colour is Red, which coincidentally (or maybe it’s fate, lol!) also happens to be my favourite colour, and my journey with Janome has been just as fun, magical, and meaningful as Dorothy’s through the land of Oz.

As you watch this video, I need to clarify that the fabulous new Janome Continental M7 boasts an impressive 13.5 inches throat space from Centre Needle position, NOT 3.5″ as I said in error! I meant to say 13, but it seemed to come out as 3, lol!
I was correct, however, when I later said it’s 13.7 inches from left needle position. I got those numbers, right, lol!

One reason my original 28 year old Janome machine has worked so well over the years, is because I’ve kept up with regular cleaning and maintenance, and followed the instructions in the manual. Click on the link HERE for a recent post I did on keeping the bobbin area clean, whichever your machine. The machine is “mechanical”, like the Janome HD 10000 I mentioned in the video, meaning non-computerized, so it’s great for a beginner and is perhaps less intimidating than a machine with lots of buttons. With regular service and maintenance, it’ll likely go on indefinitely. Not too bad, considering I couldn’t get parts last year for my 3 year old laptop which was in need of repair. It was considered “obsolete”, so of course, time for a new one! Too bad Janome didn’t make laptops!! lol!

In these current, ever-changing days, be sure to visit Janome.ca for updated information, including which dealerships may be offering online/ phone orders to be shipped to you, or perhaps curb side pick-up, etc. You may write to rthomas@janome-canada.com (Randy Thomas, Vice President of Janome Canada) for more information.

Please e-mail me at classes@janome-canada.com to be added to the mailing list, to give feedback/ class suggestions, and to stay in touch with what’s happening at our fabulous new Janome Sewing and Learning Centre in Oakville, ON. I’d love to hear from you! You can also check out more videos at our new Janome Sewing and Learning Centre You Tube Channel.

Happy Sewing!

 

Welcome Amanda!

Pssst! Did you hear? We have a new addition to our Education Team here in Canada. Please welcome Amanda! We are so excited to have her as part of our “Ed Team Family”. Amanda and I had a chance to visit last week, and we are so excited to share our interview with our readers.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I live in a small town just outside of Hamilton, ON. I live there with my husband of 14 years and two daughters ages 9 & 7. I mostly spend my days playing with fabric. All my friends come to me when they need fabric because they know I’m well stocked.

What is your earliest sewing memory?

I remember sewing Barbie clothes with my grandmother. Trying to turn the pant legs was super tricky. My other first sewing memory was in Grade 7 sewing class. I was cutting out a bag and I accidentally cut another part of the bag that I had left lying on my table. That was a valuable lesson in really paying attention while I cut something out. I feel like this was an insight to how my sewing career would go. I’m always messing up but that is when I learn the most.

Why do you love Janome?

I love that Janome gives you quality in every price point. My daughter’s first sewing machine is a Janome SUV 1122. It’s the perfect size for a beginner but I also borrow it when I’m travelling because its a great size. Even though it’s an entry model I’ve made whole quilts on it, start to finish with no issue. As you go up the line in models,  Janome really gives you what you are looking for. Great features, great accessories and an amazing product.

If you could have a sewing super power, what would it be?

My sewing super power would being able to origami my quilts so I never have to “fight” with them while I’m quilting with them.

What’s your favorite thing about sewing?

I love the creative process. I picture a quilt in my mind and then I take some fabric and make it become a reality. It is so satisfying.

What’s your favorite Janome machine?

Right now I’m completely crushing it on my Janome Continental M7. It is giant and it sews like a dream. It’s even quiet! My studio is right between my 2 daughter’s rooms and I often hold off sewing until they are awake because it wakes them up. But with the Janome M7 I can sew my heart out!

What are you most excited about becoming a Janome Educator?

I’m most excited to get to meet new people and find out what they are sewing. I love hearing about other people’s sewing passions and it will be so much fun showing them the tools, accessories and machines that are going to take their projects to the next level.

Show and Tell!

Amanda’s ‘June’ quilt

1. June Quilt. This one I’ve made various versions of. I really love how it is a more modern take on a classic design. I love stripes and will use them in almost any quilt I can get away with! I think there has only been 2 versions of this that escaped the stripes.

2. Kaleidoscope Quilt.  There was a fair amount of time that I was obsessed with making these quilts. They are all foundation paper pieced and take hours of work. The inspiration for this one was from a floral bouquet in a wedding shoot my friend took part in.

3. Floral tank top. I stepped into the garment sewing world just over 2 years ago and it has been great fun! This tank top was my first time working with a rayon. I fell in love with this Rifle Paper Co. floral and I knew I had to make something. A simple flowy tank top won out. The pattern is the Ella top by Liola Patterns

4. Floral and stripes. I love the combo of florals and stripes. This quilt was for a challenge I was participating in, and I wanted to include both genres. The background is made from layers of various shades of grey chenille, cut so there was a visible gradient drawing your eye in. Then I made individual petals trimmed with a heavier thread and I hand stitched them on to the background. I’m so in love with this wall hanging.

Original

Amanda’s version

5. Recreation of a hidden quilt. This design replicates a vintage quilt that I found hiding as the middle layer of another quilt. It is easily 120 years old but still had a more modern design to it. I had to recreate it. I love seeing what our quilting ancestors were doing and how it has influenced the quilters of today

 

Thank you Amanda! We are so excited to meet you and can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!

Click here to see our video interview 🙂

Until next time,

Janome Girl

Instagram Live today

A reminder we will be having another  Instagram Live today at 10am Pacific/11am Mountain/1pm Eastern time.

What if we have ripped our jeans and dont want to (or can’t) go out shopping> So what do we do? Janome to the rescue!

Join Janome Canada  today on Instagram as janomegirl shows how to upcycle a pair of denims + embroidery on denim.

Ruffled Apron Project – The Ruffler Foot – Part 2

The Ruffler Foot, available for 9mm and 7mm machines from your local dealer.

Don’t let the look of this amazing foot put you off. It seriously is the best way to create gathers, ruffles and pleats without poking your self with the pin that holds the basting threads on either end of the fabric.  Let’s take a look at this foot, and how it works.

It attaches to the machine using the standard ankle, so just like all of Janome’s other presser feet.

There is also a lever that goes around the needle screw, so that the foot can work with the rhythm of the up & down action of the needle.

It has “teeth” that grip the fabric, in order for the fabric to be positioned properly and evenly while you are ruffling/gathering.

There are multiple settings that allow you to control exactly the outcome of your ruffles, anywhere from really full gathers to a simple pleat. It can be changed either by the length of your stitches, or the rate at which the fabric is fed into the foot.

These markings show 4 different settings: no gathering, gathering every 12 stitches, every 6 stitches or every stitch.

The depth of the gathers can also be adjusted using the black screw. Really, this foot allows for so much customization.

This shows gathering with every stitch.

 

Every 6 stitches

Every 12 stitches

The easiest way to figure out the settings that you prefer is to take some fabric strips, and mark 10″ increments on them. And then adjust the settings and sew for 10″. Why 10″? Because it’s easy to calculate the percentage of “ruffling ratio” ( I totally just made that phrase up lol). For the apron I’m making, I know that my apron base is 22″ wide, and my strips are 43″ long. So I need roughly a 50% ratio. After testing different settings, I decided on 6 stitches per gather, and 3.0 stitch length. (I have also cut apart my test strips to save with the settings written on it – for future reference).

I have been asked many times: How much fabric do I need for a specific finished ruffled/gathered length? My answer was do a test on scraps first. As math is not my strong point, I learned something from janomegirl today : there is a relatively easy way to figure out the “ruffling ratio”. Thanks, janomegirl! Ed. 

I really believe that the ruffler is an excellent addition to your presser feet, and you will use it for all kinds of sewing.

This project actually has three parts to it, you can click here to see the first one.

Click here for the accompanying video!

There’s one more section of this project, which is putting it all together! You can click here to see the final construction.

Until next time,

Janome Girl

 

Sunday Sewing …….what’s under your needle today?

What is under your needle today?  By all accounts, creative people are doing just that……creating.  I have finished up my embroidered Peacock Wall hanging……. Now to get organized to put it up without making too many holes in the wall (hubby hates it when I do that – wonder why haha!)

Isn’t the fabric on the back pretty? I have been hoarding it for many years in my stash and it was high time to use it!

But quit with the back of the quilt, Liz!

I have been embroidering these tiles – 36 in total – over the last month. The embroidery design is an OESD Collection called “Picturesque Peacock” and I used my Janome MC15000 for all the embroidery. I made sure I used the yellow dot bobbin case as I really did not want any thread to creep up from the bobbin onto the top of my work. The Janome yellow dot bobbin case is a total winner for this! I did use Janome pre-wound bobbins – black – so that helped (as they are wound tighter and so do pull the embroidery thread down to the back a bit – which is all good) My Janome Mc15000 did a great job and I was super happy with the stitch out’s. It was also a lot of fun selecting the colours I would use and deciding which ones would work well together……lots of colour changes in some of the “tiles”.  I think one of the colours was a Hilos Iris Ultra Brite poly embroidery thread (available through Janome Canada and Elna Canada dealers) but most used were suitable peacock colours from my embroidery thread stash.

No prizes for guessing my favourite colours are lime green and purple, and turquoise/teal has to be a close runner up?! I wanted something bright to set off the black of my midnight peacock in a tree so I chose lime green. I know, not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love this colour and it will go on the wall in my entrance hall so should “wake up” any visitors to my home (once we emerge from isolation).

I used fusible bias tape (black) which I did not have at home and so I had to order online to complete my project. (I don’t own any of those fancy bias tape makers and I had no inclination to fiddle with skinny bits of bias tape so order online it was to be!) Did you know that many of our dealers are still operating – possibly behind closed doors? – but are able and willing to ship items to you that you may be needing to complete a project. Nearly had to order twin needles too!

I have made a short video showing how I did the twin needle work on the black bars across my window.  The video deals with setting the machine up for twin needle work and then sewing with a twin needle on my peacock project. 

I did have  a few slightly panicky moments when I could not find a wide twin needle – I specifically wanted it to be 4mm wide as I wanted to sew down both sides of the fusible bias tape in one pass.  We don’t usually use twin needles that wide but I was pretty sure I had more than one stashed somewhere. Man alive, I scratched around in the drawer that holds my needles. It was so mixed up that I had to take them all out and sort into piles of needle type.  (Good thing as it is now organized!) But still no twin needles so there was some anxious head scratching going on “Did I throw them out?” “Why would I do something silly like that?” Well, they were there…..tucked under a box I had not yet lifted out of the drawer – Whew!

I found lovely lime green buttons in my stash and then positioned a small black one on top of it and sewed a “double” button in place. Why do I have buttons on the corners at the bottom of the window? Well, just because I can and because I wanted to create a little weight so the wall hanging would hang nice and flat. Once on the wall, we will see if that was enough or whether I need to go on a similar search for drape weights. I know I bought them ages ago but where did I put them? Do you have issues because your sewing room could possibly be better organized or more tidy? I’m raising my hand!

However, I’m not very keen on opening up my border to insert weights. I think I may have to add a narrow “sleeve” at the bottom (like my rod sleeve at the top but smaller). TBD on that one.

So what is under your needle today? Post your pics to Instagram with #janomecanada and/or #janomelife.

We’d love to see what you are busy creating.